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Dessert

Our Lemon Pie

A lemon pie with a graham cracker crust and meringue topping.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Evaporated milk and sugar work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 804 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Our Lemon Pie

Ovenbroiler

Ingredients

Directions

Make the crust

  1. Melt margarine over medium to low heat.

  2. Roll graham crackers into crumbs with a rolling pin.

  3. Mix crumbs with melted margarine.

  4. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie pan to form a crust.

  5. Chill the crust.

Make the filling

  1. Add cold evaporated milk to the dream whip (do not add vanilla).

  2. Sprinkle in 24 packages of Equal sweetener.

  3. Mix and beat the mixture according to the dream whip directions.

  4. Beat egg yolks slightly, then gradually stir in lemon juice.

  5. Gradually fold in the whipped dream whip.

  6. Spread the filling into the chilled crust.

Make the meringue and bake

  1. Turn on the broiler to heat the pie.

  2. Beat 3 egg whites until frothy, using clean beaters.

  3. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until blended.

  4. Add another tablespoon sugar and 3 packages of Equal sweetener, then beat until soft peaks form.

  5. Spread the meringue over the top of the pie. Spread meringue to the edges so it sticks and does not shrink when broiled.

  6. Broil the pie for 30–60 seconds until the meringue is lightly browned.

  7. Chill the finished pie for 5 hours before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

456Calories
16 gProtein
27 gFat
40 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cracker5 saltine crackers (15g)66
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Evaporated milk + sugartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together804 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together53,532 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together44,316 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  4. Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Evaporated milk + eggtop 36% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together649 recipes

Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Egg yolks
Thicken the lemon filling and add richness as they set with the acid.
Egg whites
Whip into foam that forms the meringue topping and sets lightly when browned.
Lemons
Provide the tart acidity that balances the sweetness of the filling.
Graham cracker squares
Form the crumb base that holds the crust together once pressed and chilled.
Margarine
Binds the graham cracker crumbs and adds fat to the crust.

The step that matters

Spread meringue to the edges. Meringue that does not touch the crust can shrink and weep when broiled. Sealing it to the edges helps it hold its shape and stay attached while it browns.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (evaporated milk, egg, sugar):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Pumpkinfits better
  3. Coconutfits better
  4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against evaporated milk, egg, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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